Accessibility and Responsiveness
Arizona needs to make it easier for small businesses to start and thrive, and the Arizona Corporate Commission can and should play a critical role. While many people know the Commission regulates utilities such as electric, gas, and water companies, it also plays an important role in the process of establishing new corporations. Unfortunately, the Corporation Commission has been using the same inflexible bureaucracy for years. If we are to nurture the role of small businesses in Arizona, the ACC needs a new model of accessibility and responsiveness.
Accessibility: There are many ways that the ACC should take advantage of modern technology to make the Commission more accessible. For example, there currently is no online process to apply for a corporation or limited liability company. In an information age, this is unacceptable. Similarly, we should have a way applying for various business licenses simultaneously with the formation of a new entity.
Responsiveness: Everything is still done at the Commission using mail or fax machines. We should be converting to emails and electronic media. In the real estate industry, conversion process is happening whereby real estate documents are signed electronically. The Commission should be on the forefront of making business filings easier by using such a method.
In my thirty years in this State, I have witnessed the amazing strengths our State has to offer, particularly in the small business sector. I believe that Arizonans need a consumer watchdog on the Commission to make sure that we have reasonable and fair utility rates. Creating an efficient, streamlined Commission would enhance job growth and a favorable business climate, stimulate solar and other renewable energy resources, and eliminate inappropriate subsidies. Arizona has great potential to become a world energy leader and the Arizona Corporation Commission needs to help secure that bright future.
The Arizona Corporation Commission provides a number of key services to Arizona residents and businesses. Those include:
Balancing the state’s utilities’ interests, including establishing public utility rates and ensuring that utility companies are conducting business in a safe, quality manner, with the interests of ratepayers.
Oversight of the state’s pipelines and rail system to support the state’s infrastructure and ensure safe operations.
Registration and oversight of the securities marketplace, including protecting the interests of Arizona residents against fraudulent activity while enabling responsible businesses to conduct business effectively.
Providing a mechanism for the filing of formation papers and other key legal services for Arizona businesses.
The Arizona Corporation Commission consists of five members who are elected by the public to serve four-year terms. Three positions on the Arizona Corporation Commission are up for election in the November 2012 statewide vote.
For more information on the Commission, visit its web site: http://marciaforarizona.com/
